Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is a stylish, edgy, in your face game that is best enjoyed if you really don’t try to take it too seriously. Loaded with pop culture references, fourth wall breaks, hordes of enemies, and more charisma than you can handle, the only downside I encountered was an occasionally unforgiving camera during combat. Whether you are a fan of Suda51’s work or have never played any of his wild titles before, Travis Strikes Again is a must play for the absolute lunacy of the narrative and the chaotic - if repetitive - combat.

Even beyond this bizarre hurdle, the whole game is designed to impede you. The money you earn can't be spent on anything useful. The experience you gain never leads to you getting stronger. The battle mechanics make every fight as slow as possible. Even clicking on chests and items comes with a short delay. YIIK frustrates me so badly I feel like I personally offended the creators at a party or something, and this game is their revenge.

Tales of Vesperia is one of my favorite Tales games and one of my favorite games from the last generation. While Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition could have benefitted from some quality of life improvements found in newer Tales games, the remastered version still holds up as one of the best Tales games available. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition is a must-have for fans of the original release due to its new characters and is a great entry point for anyone new to the Tales series as well.

Onimusha: Warlords is a fun remaster for those who have not experienced the franchise. While the remaster may not provide much new content for past players, it is undoubtedly a worthwhile experience for everyone else. Despite some design decisions of the past which haunt the remaster, namely the fixed camera and save system, Onimusha: Warlords is a classic title worthy of a playthrough. With Capcom re-establishing itself as a force in the industry with some of its latest releases, one can only wonder where the Onimusha series goes from here.

Regardless of your latent skill level, there’s a ton of content here that’s sure to keep you hooked for quite some time. If you’re one of the many Wii U diehards out there, these games might not pique your interest in the same way. The portable element is lovely and the bundle is super convenient, but I recognize that might not be enough. Either way, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (god, it’s like a mouth full of marshmallows) would be a worthy addition to any respectable Switch collection.

Double Cross is an enjoyable adventure through a fun and interesting Saturday morning cartoon. The characters are unique and charming, the art style grabs your attention at every turn, and the gameplay feels fresh despite being a simple platformer. While the ending was predictable early on, the journey to get there was captivating and fun, and the various unlockable abilities will surely make each players experience a unique one.

After waiting for Below for over five years, I’m left conflicted. On one hand, it’s a beautiful and deeply engrossing roguelike with fantastic art direction and stunning music from Jim Guthrie. But it also doesn’t quite jive with some of its gameplay systems and, at times, feels like a confusing mixture of ideas. Despite this, however, I still don’t regret my time with Below. Even though it doesn’t always feel cohesive, it’s certainly worth playing, especially if you’re a fan of roguelikes —just know that your mileage may vary in the enjoyment department.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newbie that’s looking to try something a little different, rest assured that Katamari Damacy Reroll is the best way to get acquainted with this bizarre, yet endearing franchise. Here’s to hoping this isn’t our last visit from The Prince and King of All Cosmos.

Overall, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom met my expectations and exceeded them in certain aspects. While the game does get off to a bit of a slow start, the various puzzles, bosses, platforming sequences, transformations, and much more eventually tie together into an exquisite title. The game is both technically and artistically crafted to provide a focused experience to players quite unlike many other games that captivated me this year. If you had to pick just one side-scrolling adventure platformer to play this year, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom would not be a wrong choice.

It is fine as a simple game and the characters are lovely, but I know it has the potential to become even bigger. So much imagination was used to create such an epic story and to have named all the different characters, monsters, places, and remnants, and I believe a lot of these aspects could become sentimental pieces and not just names in a game. Overall, if you are looking for a fun, straightforward, and interesting JRPG with fun twists, The Last Remnant fits this description and is worth the play.

In the end, the parts that work well, even the driving mechanic allows for a first-person view, all add to a very engaging VR experience. Getting to explore Pandora and interact with all the various characters and creatures in scale is a helluva lot of fun. Hopefully, the rumors of forthcoming DLC and Aim support will materialize down the road. In the meantime, it’s time to lock, load, loot, and explore Pandora!

In a time where Battle Royale is all the craze, raking in all that money and not bothering to try to keep up with your competition seems like a stupid idea. Considering PUBG creators sued Epic Games over Fortnite over plagiarism, it becomes pretty apparent that the suit wasn’t over losing money, but out of spite that someone else was making a better version of your game. Instead of paying legal fees, maybe pay a programmer to outdo your competition and beat them by being better, not by throwing a legal tantrum.

Arca’s Path is at once a flowery, majestic adventure that immerses you in the magic of its world and in the madness of its moments, while also presenting another side that consists of a mundane, empty trek through a dead world. And this juxtaposition can be seen in all areas of Arca’s Path, from its gameplay to its design and visual makeup. It is an adventure that can be sliced in halves of good and bad, and a game that I can only recommend to those who don’t mind sitting through one side to get to the other.

Override: Mech City Brawl is a game that knows exactly what it is: its short, sweet, and all about explosions and destruction. With the unique styles and appearance of each mech you can clearly feel the care and attention the developers put into having a roster that stood out, but I can’t help but feel with a little more added to the campaign or a few skirmishes or single player touches, this could easily have been a sleeper hit. The combat is fun if a little awkward at first, and customization options are a bit limited, but all in all, this is a game that’s fun to go a few rounds with friends and knows how to entertain players in the short term.

I loved looking at GRIS. I loved playing GRIS. I loved watching GRIS in motion. Is this the next industry breaking game? No, it’s a standard puzzle platformer at its core. It is, however, an emotional and beautiful journey, an adventure where every event is up to the player’s own interpretation.

It pains me to speak ill of a series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past, but Just Cause 4 is a disappointing extension that needs to aim a lot higher and is, frankly, kind of boring. In the climate of exceptional games that have preceded it this year, it simply does not hold up.

Cattails is a surprisingly-polished and well-made game for a little indie title. The controls are easy to use, the mechanics are solid and the visuals are bright, colorful and cute. Again, it maybe lacks some of the vibrant detail of other open-world sims, and the fighting is a bit too simple. Dialogue with other cats can be fun but more response options could be added. Overall, though, the gameplay experience is an engaging one that will easily take 20-plus hours of your life away if you let it – but hey, you’ve still got eight more. If you love Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or just cats, you’ll find this game to be a near-purrfect choice.

Yet there’s no denying that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the series at the height of its powers. This is a portable, high-speed party brawler with a massive roster and a host of game modes. Whether you’re into couch co-op or online play, this game comes in hot and heavy. Maybe you, like me, have skipped the last couple entries. Maybe you’re equally unsure about this one. Take it from me: you don’t want to sleep on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo has knocked it out of the park with this one.

People are so used to specific styles of turn-based strategy that the way Mutant Year Zero approaches things may seem too different, potentially scaring off fans of the genre as well as newcomers. That being said, there is a lot to like between the polish of the game’s world-building, the genuinely unique approach to encounters, and the flexibility of each character’s skills. If you’re not afraid of a little challenge and are looking for a strategy title that oozes charm, then you may want to dip a toe in the Zone with Dux and Bormin.